| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace vs Arsenal | Arsenal to Win | 4/5 |
| Wolves vs Newcastle United | Wolves -0.75 Asian Handicap | 6/10 |
| Bournemouth vs Watford | Watford/Draw Double Chance | 1/2 |
| Aston Villa vs Manchester City | Man City -1 Handicap | 1/2 |
| Wigan Athletic vs Bristol City | Wigan Draw No Bet | 8/11 |
| All Five Results as an Accumulator | 10.01/1 | |
- Crystal Palace vs Arsenal – Given Palace’s atrocious list of absentees, it’s not difficult to back against them here. Townsend, Schlupp, Ward, Dann, Benteke, Van Aanholt, Sakho, Meyer and Riedewald are all out injured, while Luka Milivojevic is suspended. Worst is to come in that the talismanic Wilfried Zaha is also rated no better than 50/50. How Arsenal fare under Mikel Arteta remains to be seen, but they have won their last two now and they were excellent in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
- Wolves vs Newcastle United – Newcastle can rival Crystal Palace for their list of absentees: Steve Bruce could be without 13 first teamers here! Willems, Schar, Manquillo, Shelvey, Colback, Muto and Almiron are almost certainly out, and expected to be joined by Lascelles, Carroll, Gayle and Saint-Maximim. Dummett and Clark are rated as ‘possibles’. To be honest, we’d be backing Wolves here anyway – the Midlanders were excellent in the win over Man City, and one-goal defeats to Liverpool and a resurgent Watford didn’t dishearten.
- Bournemouth vs Watford – Give their respective formlines, Watford are a curious underdog here. They are unbeaten in their last four league games, with three wins, under Nigel Pearson, and a trip to the south coast will not shake their confidence. Indeed, you suspect that if Eddie Howe wasn’t so beloved his job would be in serious jeopardy – the Cherries, in the Premier League bottom three, have lost four of their last six games without scoring.
- Aston Villa vs Manchester City – The attacking credentials of Aston Villa will be severely hampered by the long-term loss of John McGinn and battering ram striker Wesley to long-term injury, and when you can’t defend – as Villa can’t (37 conceded in 21) – that becomes a major problem. Manchester City appear to have finally turned the corner, winning four of their last five Premier League outings with three of those beating this -1 goal handicap.
- Wigan Athletic vs Bristol City – Wigan boss Paul Cook has spoken of improvements in his team of late, and a league formline of W1 D4 L1 is testament to that for the relegation favourites. The Latics are likely to be a tough nut to crack here, and especially so for a Bristol City outfit that has lost five of their last six games, conceding 12 goals along the way.